Chapter 96 Thinking Yao Qingling was both easy to fool and easy to bully

Ruan Da Huzi led them back from the brink of death to a path of survival. Although murder and robbery were not honorable acts, at least they could live, have food, and be cared for. Over the years, they became familiar with Ruan Da Huzi and trusted him more.

Yao Qingling was a woman, and she was divorced, having left her husband's family.

They've seen how widows and women abandoned by their husbands live. It doesn't matter what kind of divorce it is, it's all the same.

He can't even take care of himself, yet he wants to be the leader of all these men?

Those who had taken the money and were on their way back to their hometowns across the stream watched the spectacle, and were overjoyed to see such a lopsided choice of sides.

Some people even egged them on, telling the twenty-three men to take the silver and go back to their hometowns to farm.

With his hands on his hips, Ruan Dahu looked at Yao Qingling with a grin: "Madam Yao, it's not that I want to take them away, but these people have recognized me as their elder brother, so I can't do anything about it. I can't just abandon them and drive them all away, can I? However, I also want to thank you for your brilliant idea, which has shown us the way forward."

The thought of being a boat captain, standing at the bow and commanding the ship, made Ruan Da Hu Zi's beard dance with joy.

He made a gesture of respect by cupping his hands in a salute, but showed no gratitude whatsoever; he was just being smug after getting a good deal.

They distributed silver according to headcount and merit; the more people followed Ruan Da Hu Zi, the more money he received.

Hmph, this little woman Yao Qingling thinks she can snatch money from him?

His earlier concession was merely a bait to lure her into revealing his true intentions.

This caused another burst of laughter.

Those people felt that Yao Qingling was easy to fool and bully.

Yao Qingling wasn't angry; it wasn't a matter of saving face.

That's true.

However, she also has her advantages.

Qingling smiled and said, "No need for thanks. Let's do business together and make money together." Then she said to the three hundred people who had made their choices, "Since you have made your choices, let's leave it at that."

She didn't try to persuade them any further. She glanced at the sky, indicating that it was getting late, and gathered the twenty people together.

She told them, "There are job postings at the city gate. These are arranged by the government for displaced people. If a shop takes you in, you can get a household registration document..."

Another large group of people excitedly surrounded Ruan Da Hu Zi, dreaming about the future. Ruan Da Hu Zi stroked his beard and tilted his ear to listen to what Yao Qing Ling was saying.

“…Household registration documents?” he muttered to himself.

Some people noticed this and asked the bearded man, "Boss Ruan, what are you going to do about our paperwork?"

Ruan the Bearded Man: "..."

He didn't think that far ahead. As long as he stayed on the river and didn't go ashore, the authorities wouldn't bother to investigate.

However, ships eventually need to dock; one cannot stay on a ship forever.

Besides, he needed boatmen to unload his cargo when he did business with people on the shore. The officials of the River Conservancy were not easily fooled.

Ruan Da Hu Zi was a rough and unruly bandit, a wanted criminal himself. Where would he get the necessary paperwork? He had no connections!

As Yao Qingling spoke, she glanced at Ruan Dahuzi out of the corner of her eye, a slight smile playing on her lips.

The twenty-three men also had doubts about her, asking what kind of business she was in, what kind of work she would do for them, whether they could manage so many people, and whether anyone would report her.

Even if there are only twenty-three people, and each person asks one question, that makes twenty-three people.

Ignoring a few irrelevant remarks, Yao Qingling raised her chin and said loudly, "You don't understand the situation in the city. Now the government needs to maintain order to prevent another peasant uprising."

"Now officials have been sent to places like Luozhou to restore the area to its former state as soon as possible. The government is encouraging displaced people to return to their hometowns, and those who remain in various cities and places will no longer be forcibly driven away. This is what I mean by encouraging merchants and gentry to hire workers."

“I have several shops, and I’ve told you before that I want to expand them along the river. There are only about twenty of you, how could you not be able to make arrangements?”

"However, this is the first time I've made such a bold attempt. With fewer people, it's easier for me and the paperwork is also easier to process. Originally, I was worried that with more people, I would have too much responsibility and wouldn't be able to sleep at night."

At this point, Yao Qingling turned to look at Ruan Da Hu Zi and cupped her hands in thanks to him, saying, "Brother Ruan, thank you for your hard work."

Ruan Dahuzi's smile froze on his face as he glanced at the three hundred men following him.

These three hundred people were like children with their mouths open, waiting to be fed.

He needs to support three hundred people, and he can no longer rely on fighting and robbing to make a living—

Although Yao Qingling is a woman, she has a clean background and a legitimate business, which allows her to help people clean up their identities; she is much more successful in business than he is.

Just thinking about it makes me feel stressed; just thinking about it makes me unable to laugh.

Some people saw the leader's hesitant expression, and the clever ones had already realized what was going on—the leader didn't have a plan as meticulous as Yao Niangzi's, and he hadn't thought about getting them household registration documents. What was the difference between this and being a bandit before?

They just moved from the mountains to the riverbed. If something big happens, they'll just throw them into the river to feed the fish.

The allure of household registration documents and a stable, peaceful life is too great.

"Brother Ruan, I'd like to change my mind... Can I go with Madam Yao?"

"It was said by a round-faced man."

Once this was mentioned, several others followed suit and changed their minds.

They moved to the side, keeping some distance from Boss Ruan; those closer to Yao Qingling's side were better off.

It seemed that as long as Boss Ruan nodded, they would quickly cross the line.

Old Master Ruan's face darkened, and the muscles in his cheeks twitched slightly.

It's only the first day of the family division, and you're already making him lose face. How are you going to get things done in the future?

He touched the sword at his waist, his gloomy and ruthless eyes sweeping across Yao Qingling's face.

Tao Ye tensed up immediately and gripped Qing Ling's arm tightly.

The previous times had gone too smoothly, to the point that she thought Boss Ruan was a cheerful and good-tempered person.

Yao Qingling was also nervous.

However, things have already come to this point, and it would be bad for both sides to fall out over this.

It's not good for her either.

Ruan Da Hu Zi could have killed her right here and continued to rule the mountain.

Moreover, she hosted a banquet for Lin Shiyuan at a restaurant, which seemed to have displeased him; Lin Shiyuan did not accompany her to Que'er Mountain this time.

Yao Qingling's breath hitched slightly, and she smiled, "Boss Ruan, don't be petty. I didn't try to take your people; they changed their minds themselves."

"You were the one who said it was up to them to stay or leave, and they hadn't made a complete decision yet. Now they just want to think about it some more."

"Besides, three hundred people, that would require a huge ship. With your meager budget, you could only buy two secondhand ships at most. Could you support that many people?"

"How about this, give them another chance to think it through and make a new choice?"

Old Master Ruan stared at Yao Qingling for a long while; as he looked at her, he was quickly calculating the pros and cons in his mind.

He's leading a large, chaotic group, and if things don't go well, his position as the leader will be in jeopardy, and he'll be replaced. It's better to give these two-faced people to Yao Qingling and let her have a headache.

After the family split up again, more than sixty people chose to follow Yao Qingling.

Once the decision is made, it cannot be changed.

A total of 86 people are going with Yao Qingling.

After Qingling distributed the money, she led eighty-six people and their share of gold and silver jewelry down the mountain.

This time, the time spent outside was long, and Yao Qingling was unable to return to the city before the city gates closed.

It's impossible for all eighty-six people to enter the city at once.

Yao Qingling had already made arrangements.

She has an estate in the suburbs where these people can hide temporarily and also hide their gold and silver treasures.

When the steward of the manor received Yao Qingling's message, he waited at the post station and was startled to see nearly a hundred people following her.

Yao Qingling said that she responded to the government's call and arranged livelihoods for the displaced people, asking the manager to take them to the estate.

The manager obeyed without asking any questions and took the person away in the carriage.

At that moment, it started to rain.

Yao Qingling stood in the rain, watching the large group of people follow the carriage and gradually disappear into the night.

This is a rain that washes away the blood on them.